this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 133 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Interesting that Trump seems to understand that we "did a pearl harbor" on Iran, but somehow still thinks that we are the "good guys"? He almost got self aware for a second there.

[–] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 69 points 5 days ago (3 children)

He doesn't believe in good guys, he thinks everyone is just as evil as him so it makes his continuous assault on all limits of human decency OK in his mind.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Yup, this is why his accusations are always confessions. Projection is the psychological phenomenon where you refuse to see yourself as bad, so you justify your bad actions with “everyone does bad stuff like this, so it doesn’t make me bad to do them.” But when all of your interactions are colored by that “everyone does bad stuff like this” part, it means you project those bad intentions onto others and default to assuming they’re just as bad as you are. So when he’s accusing people of bad things, it is because he has projected those intentions onto them.

And Trump’s narcissism refuses to let him do any kind of soul-searching that may lead him to stop projecting. And thus, every accusation is an admission.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

you refuse to see yourself as bad, so you justify your bad actions with “everyone does bad stuff like this”

I've heard the neat phrase ‘reverse cargo cult’ in regard to such views. Applied to a group of people, though, as cults typically require.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Wow, gotta read that paper now:

The Reverse Cargo Cult metaphor explains why dictators tell their citizens lies that citizens know to be lies: a verifiable lie told by a politician changes citizens’ perceptions of politicians and reduces their willingness to replace them

Source: https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-papers/the-reverse-cargo-cult-why-authoritarian-governments-lie-to-their-people/

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

People in some places are just convinced the rest of the world is just as bad — this is the context in which I've heard the term.

USians' incessant belief that travelling to other countries is very unsafe is probably one example of this.

[–] Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It's puritanism, the country was founded on it and even though there have been waves of modernization, it's still a puritannical deeply sick society at heart.

[–] forrgott@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Epstein was his best friend. And the horrific shit that happened in that island is so much worse than anybody seems to be willing to believe. But just raping kids, but torturing them to death as well, for a start.

Think of the number of the parasitic "elite" he saw there. Of course he believes everyone else is evil, too. As far as he is concerned, he saw the proof of it. In their world, that kind of horrid vile behavior is, in fact, normal.

Well yeah we all see the evil in the world, but i guess what i think defines people is whether they choose to be part of the problem or the solution. Just clarifying that's no excuse even if it's some kind of explanation for trump or anyone else's depravity.

[–] TwilitSky@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago

He learned that from Putin. The difference is that Putin is well aware he's the most evil.

[–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

If you assume he thinks of himself as Nazi Germany it makes more sense.

Japan didn't notify Hitler of the planned attack.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I mean, you can do a pre-emptive surprise strike against a foreign military and still be the "good guys". It's just that we aren't the good guys when we did this pre-emptive military strike against a foreign military.... Or grade school girls... Because our top military brass has been replaced by retards loyal to trump.

[–] theolodis@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Name one good guy that did a "pre-emptive" (whatever that means in this context, because Iran for sure wouldn't have attacked the US) strike against a foreign military.

[–] guy@piefed.social 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Iran absolutely would. How haven't you heard of the imminent threat of an attack?! It has been there for 47 years man!

[–] theolodis@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago

Yes, maybe Iran would if it wasn't preemptively attacked every year. But also, are we considering Iran being the good guy?

[–] forrgott@lemmy.zip 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Everybody is the hero in their own story. Incidentally, this is something Maga do not understand; they honestly believe everyone else just wants them to fail, that we all know we're wrong and trying to take them down, anyway. For them, we all actively chose evil.

But, my point is "good guy" is inherently subjective. But that means you cannot preemptively strike and not be the villain, as well.

There is no "good guy" in the theater of war, though; to be involved is to be as evil as everyone else there.